Three Jurisdictions, Three Sets of Rules
If your home burned in the January 2025 Palisades or Eaton fires, the first question is who issues your permit. The answer shapes everything that follows. Pacific Palisades is in the City of Los Angeles. Altadena is unincorporated Los Angeles County, as are the unincorporated areas the Palisades Fire reached. Malibu is its own city. Each one has written its own version of a “like-for-like” rebuild, with its own size allowance, its own review path and its own fees.
Neighbors on either side of a city line can get different answers to the same question. Owners can lose weeks because they read a rule from the wrong jurisdiction or heard one secondhand from a relative or a lender.
This article lays out each path side by side as the agencies publish them, what still applies no matter which path you choose and where an owner’s representative earns a place on the team. It is written for homeowners and for the families, lenders and insurance professionals helping them. Program rules can change, so treat every figure here as a starting point to confirm with the agency.
Start by Confirming Who Has Jurisdiction
Do not go by the mailing address or the name of the fire. The Palisades Fire burned across both city and county land. Check the parcel with the city or county before you hire anyone. The recovery sites below cover the three agencies discussed here:
- City of Los Angeles. Pacific Palisades. Rebuild programs run through the Mayor’s emergency executive orders and the City’s recovery site.
- Unincorporated Los Angeles County. Altadena and the unincorporated areas affected by the Palisades Fire. The County publishes its own like-for-like definitions for each fire area.
- City of Malibu. Malibu has its own rebuild options, fees and timelines, published on its recovery site.
A State order sits over all three. We cover it after the local paths.
Pacific Palisades: City of Los Angeles
Like-for-Like Under Executive Order 1
The Mayor’s Emergency Executive Order 1 covers rebuilds in substantially the same location. The City says the new structure cannot exceed 110% of the footprint or height of the structure that existed immediately before the fire. The City says departments are to review complete applications within 30 days and issue permit clearances within 5 days. The word “complete” carries a lot of weight there. Actual timing depends on completeness, department clearances, site conditions and any outside-agency review. An incomplete set restarts the conversation.
The 110% test is on footprint and height, not interior square footage. In the City’s words, “Square footage is not factored into the 110% allowance.” An owner who expects 10% more living area under Executive Order 1 should have the designer check the footprint and height numbers first.
The City’s guidance also says a new or enlarged basement can qualify as an Executive Order 1 project as long as it does not exceed 110% of the previously existing footprint. For owners who want more room without going higher, that is worth a conversation with the design team early.
Other City Programs
- Executive Order 8. Non-like-for-like single-family projects that comply with zoning can bypass local Coastal Act and CEQA review. Zoning compliance is the condition.
- Standard Plan pilot. A library of pre-approved, fire-resilient single-family designs already reviewed by the Department of Building and Safety for code compliance. The Mayor’s office announced the first approvals on November 13, 2025. Ask what site-specific review your lot still needs.
- Executive Order 6 self-certification. Qualified California-licensed architects can certify that their plans meet City codes and skip traditional plan check. Other departments’ reviews still apply.
Fees, Permit Life and Code Edition
Plan check and permit fees are suspended only for those who owned the property on the date of the fire. If you bought a burned lot afterward, budget for fees. Once a building permit is issued, the City expects the work to be completed within three years.
The City also states that new buildings must be built to the current building code unless they use a plan approved under the 2019 building code or later. The Palisades has been a designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone since 1999. On November 21, 2025, the Mayor’s office announced the first Certificate of Occupancy for a home rebuilt in Pacific Palisades, so the path does run all the way to move-in.
Altadena and Unincorporated County Areas
Los Angeles County defines a like-for-like rebuild as a structure of the same size, in the same location and for the same purpose as the one that was lost. It may be smaller or have a different floor plan. The allowance for growth depends on which fire:
- Palisades Fire area (unincorporated). Up to a 10% increase in floor area, size, height or building footprint.
- Eaton Fire area, including Altadena. Up to 10% or 200 square feet, whichever is greater.
That 200 square foot floor matters for smaller houses. On a 1,200 square foot home, 10% is only 120 square feet, so the 200 square foot figure gives more room.
A like-for-like rebuild does not have to meet the current Zoning Code. It does have to meet current Building, Fire and Health and Safety codes. Go beyond like-for-like and current zoning applies. In Altadena, non-like-for-like rebuilds are subject to the Altadena Community Standards District. The County says the district’s front yard setback requirements do not apply to them. Instead, the minimum front yard setback for all non-like-for-like rebuilds is 20 feet. Confirm the current rule with the assigned planner. A house that sat closer to the street before the fire can lose that position if the owner steps outside like-for-like.
The County routes like-for-like applications internally through Planning, Building and Safety, Fire and Public Health, so the owner is not carrying the set from counter to counter.
Malibu: Two Published Options
Malibu is the most explicit of the three about cost and time. The figures below are Malibu’s published fees and estimated review ranges as checked September 28, 2026. Separate department, consultant, mitigation, utility and construction costs may apply. Confirm current fees with the City before you budget.
Option 1: Like-for-Like Plus 10%
Substantially the same footprint with up to a 10% increase in height, square footage and volume. The first step is a Planning Verification, listed at $200 and about one week. From there the project goes through Administrative Plan Review at $1,590 plus department fees. A Site Plan Review may be required if the home goes above 18 feet in height, sits on slopes steeper than 3:1 or encroaches into setbacks. The City lists $3,499 for height and $2,981 for slopes or setbacks. The published range for Option 1 is 3 to 6 months.
Option 2: Coastal Development Permit
A rebuild more than 10% larger or in a new location needs a Coastal Development Permit. So does an unpermitted ADU. The base fee is $11,579 plus discretionary fees. There is public notice and a Planning Commission hearing and the decision can be appealed, possibly to the California Coastal Commission. The published range is 12 to 24 months.
The gap between those two timelines is the main thing to weigh. A year or more of extra rent and carrying cost can easily outweigh the value of the added square footage.
The State Layer: Executive Order N-4-25
On January 12, 2025, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-4-25. For qualifying reconstruction of properties substantially damaged or destroyed in the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, in substantially the same location and not exceeding 110% of the footprint and height of the legally established structure, the order suspended the California Environmental Quality Act and the requirement to obtain a permit under the California Coastal Act.
Keep the three size rules separate. The City’s Executive Order 1 allowance (110% of footprint or height, with square footage not factored in) governs the City permit process. The County allowance (10% in the Palisades Fire area; 10% or 200 square feet in the Eaton Fire area) governs County like-for-like review. The State order’s 110% test decides only whether CEQA and Coastal Act permitting are suspended. They are different rules and a project can meet one without meeting another.
Note the words “legally established.” Unpermitted additions and ADUs are where an owner can find out that the house on the tax roll and the house they lived in were not the same. Pull the permit history early.
What Still Applies on Every Path
Like-for-like refers to size, location and use. It does not mean you can rebuild the old construction. A home built decades ago was built to the code of its day. The new one will be built to today’s.
The 2025 California Building Standards Code took effect statewide on January 1, 2026 and applies to building permit applications submitted on or after that date. The wildfire construction rules for buildings in fire hazard areas have long been found in California Building Code Chapter 7A, Materials and Construction Methods for Exterior Wildfire Exposure and in Section R337 of the California Residential Code. The State Fire Marshal also points to the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, Title 24, Part 7. Your architect and the building department will confirm which provisions govern your lot.
These rules reach the parts of the house that face the fire: roofing, vents, exterior walls, windows, decks and the details where they meet. They change material choices and they change cost. When I was doing construction administration, many of the field problems we resolved came from details that looked simple on the drawings and were not simple to build. Wildfire detailing at vents, eaves and deck edges is that kind of detail. Get it drawn and specified clearly so the bids price the same thing.
Fire department access, defensible space and utility work carry their own requirements too. So do lender and insurer requirements, which follow their own documents.
Where an Owner’s Representative Fits
Most fire survivors have never built a house. They are now running a design contract, a construction contract, an insurance claim and often a loan draw schedule at once, while living somewhere else. An owner’s representative works for the owner and only the owner. Our article on what an owner’s representative actually does covers the role in general. On a fire rebuild it comes down to four jobs.
Picking the Path
Like-for-like, like-for-like plus the allowance or a larger rebuild under current zoning. Each choice changes schedule, fees, design scope and risk. An owner’s rep lays the options out with real numbers so the family can decide. If the lot or the program points toward a bigger project, that becomes entitlement work. Our land development and entitlements service covers that side.
Getting the Design and Bids Right
The design contract should say who prepares the fire-hazard detailing, who handles agency comments and whether the architect is using self-certification or a standard plan. Bids should be based on the same drawings and specifications and leveled line by line. Allowances should be real numbers. A low bid with thin allowances tends to come back as change orders. On a home rebuild the owner compares the bids and chooses the contractor.
Managing an Insurance-Funded Budget
Insurance proceeds, loan draws and the owner’s own money often arrive on different schedules and under different conditions. The budget should track every cost by funding source and keep the invoices, photos and approvals behind each one. What the policy covers is between the owner, the carrier and counsel. Our role is to keep the construction records clean enough that those conversations go quickly. PCC does not negotiate or settle the claim; a licensed public adjuster does that for policyholders.
Observing Construction
Pay applications checked against work in place. Change orders priced and approved before the work, not after. Inspections tracked. Submittals for fire-rated products checked against the approved drawings before they are ordered. As project manager on university capital projects, I managed work from the owner’s side. The same discipline applies to a single house, where the money is the family’s own. See our owner’s representative services for how PCC approaches it.
A Practical Rebuild Checklist
- Confirm jurisdiction. Look up the parcel with the city or county. Read that agency’s rules, not a neighbor’s.
- Gather the record of the old house. Permit history, prior plans, surveys, photos, the tax record and anything that shows square footage and height. This is how you prove like-for-like and what was legally established.
- Decide the path. Compare like-for-like, the size allowance and a larger rebuild on time, fees and cost, with your carrier’s and lender’s requirements in view.
- Check fee eligibility. In the City of Los Angeles, the fee suspension applies only to those who owned the property on the date of the fire. In Malibu, use the City’s current fee schedule.
- Write the design contract to fit. Name the approval route, the fire-hazard detailing and who answers agency comments.
- Bid on complete documents. Level the bids, question thin allowances and confirm the fire-rated products are priced as specified.
- Set up the budget by funding source. Keep every invoice, photo and approval. Ask your carrier and counsel about coverage questions.
- Run construction with records. Review pay applications, price changes before the work and keep inspection sign-offs and product submittals on file.
- Watch the permit clock. In the City of Los Angeles, plan for completion within three years of permit issuance.
What to Do With This
If you are the owner, start with the record of the old house and the jurisdiction question. Everything else depends on those two answers. Do not sign a design or construction contract until you know which path you are on and what it costs in time.
If you are helping a parent or relative, the most useful thing you can do is keep the paper organized: one folder for the old house, one for the claim, one for the loan and one for the new construction. Lenders and insurance professionals can help by stating their documentation and draw requirements up front so the budget and the pay applications are set up to match from the first month.
If your house survived but took smoke, a separate law may apply. The California Smoke Damage Recovery Act (AB 1795, Chapter 240, Statutes of 2026) takes effect January 1, 2027. Ask your carrier and counsel how it applies to you.
My advice is to decide the path before you fall in love with a floor plan. When you are ready to talk it through, contact PCC.
A Note on Sourcing
PCC is a construction forensics and construction management firm, not a law firm. Nothing here is advice on insurance coverage, land use law or environmental review. Rely on your counsel, your carrier and the permitting agency for how any rule applies to your property.
Program rules were checked on September 28, 2026 against the City of Los Angeles recovery site and Mayor’s office announcements, the Los Angeles County recovery site, the City of Malibu’s rebuild site, the text of Executive Order N-4-25, the California Building Standards Commission and the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Malibu fees are the City’s published figures on that date. These programs change often. The article should be rechecked against each agency’s site on the publish date and readers should confirm current rules and fees with the agency before relying on them.
This article provides general construction and regulatory context, not legal, insurance-coverage or lending advice. Recovery programs, fees and procedures change and may apply differently to a particular property. Confirm current rules with the building department or planner. Consult land-use counsel, your carrier and your lender before acting.
